


Work in Progress

by lbk_princen



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Crush at First Sight, Cute, Fluff and Humor, Humanstuck, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Multi, No Smut, Slow Build, not for jane or sollux tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lbk_princen/pseuds/lbk_princen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sollux has a thing for girls with big hips, big smiles, big hearts, and big dreams. Jane fits the description. One night, they meet at a party.<br/>~~<br/>i suk at summaries lmao. this is the fuckiign crackship of my heart, my soul, its too pure not to share. i want everyone to ship this ship. i need ppl to ship this ship. i had this idea late at night???? and decided im gonna write it</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. i

First impressions are always important. That’s what Sollux’s dad had always said to him, at least. That didn’t always stop him from being a dick to new acquaintances though.

Sollux’s first impression of Jane was that she looked just as unhappy as he did.

They met at a party thrown by Karkat’s other best friend, a douchebag by the name of Strider. He and Egbert - one of Sollux’s classmates - were hosting together at Egbert’s place. Karkat said he didn’t really want to go but that Strider was expecting him, and that if he had to go he was dragging Sollux there with him. Sollux didn’t really understand the logic, but he agreed if only to avoid an argument.

“The real reason you didn’t want to not go is because of the huge boner you have for Strider,” Sollux said matter-of-factly as he drove.

Karkat spluttered and denied. “Dave and I are just bros, okay?”

“Mhm, yeah, sure. I can see it from here, man.”

“See what?” Karkat demanded.

Sollux rolled his eyes and honked at the slow-moving Honda Civic in front of him. “Your boner! Get with the program, sheesh.”

They squabbled the rest of the way there, about metaphorical boners, real boners, and possible crushes on tall bottle-blond boys. The cookie-cutter suburban neighborhood didn’t surprise Sollux; it seemed like exactly the kind of place Egbert would live.

Upon crossing the generic middle-class threshold, Sollux and Karkat were assaulted by thumping music, loud chatter, and the smell of alcohol. Sollux stuck close to his friend. Parties were never his kind of scene. He preferred to stay at home and watch Netflix with chips and a Monster or spend a few hours screwing around in _Fallout: New Vegas_.

Despite having said that he didn’t want to come, Karkat’s inner socialite struggled free after mere minutes, and he was absorbed into the crowd, leaving Sollux to fend for himself. The party wasn’t huge, and most of the people Sollux knew, or had at least seen around campus. Many of them said hi to him, if they weren’t too intoxicated to notice him. At some point Terezi whacked him in the shins with her cane and, recognizing his yelp of pain, decided to stop and chat. He ended up with her beer when Vriska dragged her off by the arm to watch a girl with tight blond curls and a tight pink skirt do shots with a boy with smooth brown skin and a green vest. Feeling a bit stifled and rather rankled, Sollux scooted his way towards the staircase, taking refuge on the couch.

Sitting there already was a plump girl with olive skin and shiny black hair. She looked at him with striking blue eyes and gave a polite smile before looking away. Sollux barely had time to register it before her face was turned from him again, her body angled in a way that indicated discomfort or disinterest. Sollux swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He took a swig from the beer in his hand and tried not to choke. Alcohol was also not part of his typical scene. He was, as Eridan so nicely put it, “A goddamn fuckin’ lightweight.”

“Uh,” Sollux said, making the girl look over. “You don’t seem like you’re having much fun.”

The girl laughed shortly. “I’m not, if I’m being quite honest. It wasn’t my idea to come.”

“Were you ditched by the friend who dragged you here, too?” Sollux asked, adjusting his glasses self-consciously under the weight of her clear, calculating gaze.

“You could say that,” she said after a pause. Then she turned, straining to the side and pointing towards the kitchen, where Sollux could just make out the people doing shots. “The girl with the glittery cat handbag and a taste for vodka,” she said, slightly disapproving.

“Yeah, Roxy. I know her. She’s in my computer programming class. That’s also how I know John.” Sollux nodded, and took a small sip from his drink. Then he leaned forward too, scanning the crowd, and pointed. “Guy with the curls and acne scars. He and Dave are practically sucking each other’s dicks. I don’t really know why he made me come.”

The girl followed Sollux's finger, and went, “Ah. Umm, Karkat, right? I recognize him from John’s photos.”

Sollux nodded again, settling back into his seat. “John has pictures of Karkat? That’s a little creepy.”

The girl laughed a little, in an ‘oh you silly thing’ kind of way. “They’re selfies and group photos, mostly. I’ve only seen them because we’re family.”

“You and Egbert?” Sollux said, a little surprised. Once he thought about it though, he could see the family resemblance. The same big teeth as John and Jade, same raven hair, same narrow eyes; they were both darker than her, though, and she was more wide-set.

“Yes. We’re cousins. He’s also related to Jake, who just lost to Roxy in the kitchen there, though I’m not.”

Sollux’s head spun, but that may just have been a side effect of the beer. “Sounds complicated,” he said. “I’ve always wondered what it’s like to have a big family.” He’s only ever had his dad and Mituna, though he never went to school with Mituna.

The girl grimaced. “It’s not always what it’s cracked up to be.” A moment of pause. “I’m Jane, by the by,” she said, offering her hand. “Jane Crocker.”

“Sollux Captor.” He shook her hand. Her grip was stronger than he expected, and he had to muffle a protest at the hard squeeze.

Seeming satisfied, Jane pulled her hands back into her lap and turned more towards him. “So, Sollux Captor, what do you do?”

Sollux blinked. “Like, for work? I’m a part-time worker at Staples, and I do coding commissions for web designers and video game developers sometimes.”

Jane looked impressed. “That sounds incredible. You must be a very talented programmer.”

Sollux shrugged, looking bashfully away. “Nah… Roxy’s better. I’ve seen her stuff, mine doesn’t even compare.” Jane looked doubtful, so Sollux hurried on. “Anyway, what do you do? I haven’t seen you around; do you go to a different school?”

She shook her head and drew herself up proudly. “I’m a private business owner. Currently I’m taking business courses online, but I run a bakery on North road.”

Sollux boggled. “Running your own business? You can’t be much older than me. How the hell do you run a business in your early twenties? Do people take you seriously?”

Jane’s eyes got a steely glint, and she smiled a wry smile. “I make people take me seriously.”

Sollux’s gut squirmed. His beer was nearly empty. In front of him was a pretty girl full of grit and grace. He tried to come up with something witty to say in response, but all that came to him was, “Wow.” Jane tried to contain a grin, but Sollux saw her cheeks dimple in the dim light and he felt his heart do a flip. There was absolutely nothing in the world more attractive to him than a girl’s dimples. “I mean, I’m sure you do a great job,” he stammered. “Of making people take you seriously, I mean. And of running your store.”

Jane and Sollux continued to chat while the party went on around them, though as the music got louder and the people rowdier, Jane suggested they go for a walk outside. Sollux readily agreed, and picked up another beer for himself on the way out, because he was enjoying the little bit of a buzz he had going, and he wanted to keep it up if he could. When he offered one to Jane, she declined, stating that she had to be able to drive Roxy home.

“I’m not a fan of the stuff anyway,” she said. “I’ve seen what intoxication does to people.”

Sollux nodded, feeling a little guilty for his next sip.

Outside, Sollux saw Maryam sitting primly on the ground under the tree in the yard, her girlfriend Rose drunkenly fondling her headscarf. He and Jane decided to walk the other way, and ended up in the backyard, on a rusted set of swings. They were so close to the ground that Sollux’s long legs had to bundle up uncomfortably in order for him to sit. They talked about random, inconsequential things, and Sollux couldn’t remember the last time he was in such a good mood. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the way his stomach somersaulted every time Jane laughed, but he felt strangely, inexplicably _good._

Eventually, the fun had to end. John and Jake came out back, saying that Roxy had gone to the car and was waiting for Jane.

“She said she wasn’t feeling too keen, poor gal,” Jake said with a sympathetic hiccup.

Jane nodded, her smile from moments ago replaced with a stern frown. She let out a frustrated sigh as she stood up. “It’s really time she started going to meetings again. I commend her for how long she was sober when we were teens, but just because she’s in college now doesn’t mean she should be drinking again. I really thought she was more mature."

John put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on her, cuz. If you’re gonna talk to her about it, I’d wait till her hangover wears off.”

Jane nodded, somewhat impatiently. “Good party, John,” she said curtly, fishing her keys out of her pockets. She turned and smiled faintly at Sollux. “Good to meet you, Sollux.”

Sollux, who had been awkwardly quiet during the family conversation, jerked a little bit at his name. “Yeah, good to meet you too. I’ll see you around?” he added, maybe a bit too hopefully.

Jane smiled just a little bit wider, a little more wistfully. “Maybe.”

With that, she was gone, and Sollux was left with the strangest, most wonderful first impression he’d ever had.

With Karkat and Sollux both too tipsy to drive, John offered to let them crash at his place, but only if they helped clean up in the morning. Sollux blindly agreed, and fell asleep almost before he hit the couch.


	2. ii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sollux Aradia forever tbh

“You and Jane seemed to hit it off pretty well last night,” John mentioned casually as Sollux dropped some empty cups into the garbage bag he was holding. Dave and Karkat were both mysteriously absent from the cleaning up.

Sollux eyed John warily. “Yeah. She seems cool. Cooler than you, at least.”

“Yowch.” John shook the garbage bag a little bit to settle its contents as Sollux chucked more things in. “I’ll have to remember to tell her you said so.”

“How often do you guys even see each other or talk or whatever?” Sollux tried to sound disinterested, like he didn’t really care and was just making conversation.

John shrugged as he swept some plates and napkins off the kitchen counter into the bag. “We text pretty often, and she and Roxy are roommates so she tags along to events and whatnot sometimes. Especially if Dirk and Jake are there too.”

“What, are they like a quartet? A complete set?”

“I guess. They’re all just really good friends, like me and Jade and Dave and Rose. Everybody has their little groups.”

Sollux crumpled the empty cups in his hands. “Yeah,” he said.

Two minutes later, a shirtless Dave came down the stairs, scratching the wiry, tangled mess of his hair. Sollux didn’t try very hard to stop himself from checking him out. What could he say, Strider had some serious figure.

“You’re on surfaces, Casanova,” John said, thrusting a pair of pink rubber gloves and an all-purpose cleaning solution into Dave’s hands.

Soon after, Karkat entered, looking surprisingly fresh for someone who normally doesn’t rise before noon. Sollux didn’t miss the way he and Dave glanced at each other, either. When he had a moment, Sollux whipped out his phone and texted Aradia.

 

TA: KK and strider totally fucked.

AA: haha called it! :D

AA: who else knows?

TA: well i haven’t told anyone yet and they sure as hell haven’t bc they just got up they’re staring at each other like lovesick puppies.

TA: it’s disgusting. help.

AA: well hey i heard you were mooning pretty hard over someone last night too

TA: what?? from who????

AA: shhhhhh ill never tell :x

TA: it was kanaya wasnt it.

AA: :x :x :x

TA: she saw me and jane walking outside together. that doesnt mean i was MOONING.

AA: so her names jane huh?

AA: i wanna know about her!!! ;D

TA: ughh.

AA: come on

TA: later. i gotta finish helping tidy up.

 

When the tidying up was done, Dave and Karkat mysteriously vanished again as John was chattering on to Sollux about something from their programming class.

“No offense dude but I don’t really care,” Sollux interrupted, his voice flat. “I barely go to that class anyway, it’s all shit I already know.”

“Your manners suck,” John said, pushing Sollux’s shoulder good-naturedly. Sollux rolled his eyes. He didn’t hate John, but he wasn’t really fond of him either. The kind of person where, if John randomly died, Sollux would probably be sad or something, but he wouldn’t go to the guy’s funeral.

When Karkat slid into the passenger seat of Sollux’s beat-up 2009 Toyota Corolla, Sollux looked at him and went, “So, how was it?”

Karkat stared blankly back. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he said, very obviously knowing what the fuck Sollux was talking about. He was already beginning to turn red in the face.

Sollux threw his hands in the air. “Sucking Strider’s dick! What else would I be fucking talking about.”

“We didn’t have sex, asshole,” Karkat said, too angry and too serious for him to be lying, which caught Sollux off guard.

“Wait, seriously?”

Karkat humphed and crossed his arms, staring at the dashboard in front of him. “Even if we did, it’s none of your fucking business, you utter prick.”

“Oh. Huh.” Sollux started the car and drove off down the street. “Well if you didn’t have sex, what  _ did _ you guys do?”

Karkat shrugged. “We talked, mostly. Maybe kissed a little.”

“Huh,” Sollux said again. "You guys a couple now, then? Am I gonna have put up with you gushing over him even more than I already fuckin' do?"

"I don't know. It's weird, we have to sort some more shit out- and I don't _gush._ " 

"You absolutely gush. You gush sweet, sticky garbage right from your facehole. It's disgusting."

"You're disgusting."

Sollux held in his exhale for several beats. "You're not wrong," he said when he let it out.

The conversation died there.  _ Stressed Out _ came on the radio, and Sollux turned up the volume. “This is the only Twenty-One Pilots song they play on this station,” he complained. “They have better ones.”

Karkat grunted. “You and your damn new-age emo shit.”

“Says the guy who flat-ironed his hair for that 2011 emo look all through freshman year.”

“Look, we don’t talk about freshman year,” Karkat growled, and Sollux laughed.

Once back at the dorms, Karkat opened the door and said, slightly resigned, “Hey Aradia.”

“Hey guys! How was the party last night?” She was sitting on Sollux’s bed, one of his Rubik's Cubes in her hand. Sollux had given her a key a long time ago, because she’d find a way to get in even if she didn’t have one, and he’d rather spend the money on the key than the lock once it got picked too many times. The first few times she broke in, she nearly gave Karkat a heart attack.

“Good,” Sollux said.

“Great,” Karkat said, heading for the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower though. I fucking reek.”

“You sure do.” Sollux went and sat in the rolly chair by his desk. Karkat flipped him the finger before closing the bathroom door, and Sollux snickered.

“Can you show me how to do this again?” Aradia held out the Rubik’s Cube. “I keep forgetting.”

Sollux took the cube and started spinning the sides with deft, practiced movements. “You have to line the colours up with the center colour, and think about your moves in advance.”

“Mhm.”

In about forty seconds, Sollux handed her back the solved puzzle.

“Amazing.” Aradia turned the toy over in her hands, observing his work.

“Did you finish your anthropology assignment? That’s why you didn’t go to the party, right?”

She nodded, her warm brown eyes finding his. “The load’s been a little heavy, but I’m managing.”

“Jake was there,” he mentioned casually, noticing the way she immediately smiled.

“He told me he would be. He was the one who invited me. Tell me about Jane.” The sudden change in topic made Sollux choke, and he coughed, hard, into his hand. Just hearing her name was resurfacing the butterfly-feelings in his stomach. “Ooooh, you have it bad,” Aradia said, grinning.

“We just talked,” Sollux said, when he was finished coughing. “She came with Roxy, but ended up on the couch when she went to do shots with Jake. She’s John and Jade’s cousin.”

“Is she pretty?” Aradia pressed.

“Beautiful,” Sollux replied.

“Do you like her?”

“Maybe a little,” he admitted.

Aradia beamed at him, and gently kicked his foot. “You should try and call her or something, if you think she had fun with you. Did you get her number?”

“I didn’t think to ask.”

“Boo, lame.” Aradia plopped the Rubik’s Cube down beside her.

“I did find out that she runs a bakery on North road, though.”

She brightened up. “Oh! I know that place! I pass it on the way to Nepeta’s house. You should go see her.”

Sollux looked at her doubtfully. “Seems a little forward, don’t you think?”

“I can come too, if you like,” she said with a smile.

“Yeah, okay.” Sollux gave her a little smile back. “But not today. You wanna watch a movie or something?” he asked, turning and reaching for his laptop.

“I’d love to, but I can’t.” She stood up, shook out her skirt, and grabbed her bag from the floor, rummaging inside. “I have biology in twenty minutes. I think we’re dissecting pig fetuses today!”

Sollux made a face. He’d always been the squeamish one in their friendship.

“I brought you some breakfast, too, since I knew you’d forget.” She pulled out a Tim Horton’s bag and dropped it on his lap. He looked up at her with reverence in his eyes.

“I honestly love you,” he said.

She smiled cheerfully. “I know.” With that, she kissed his forehead and swung her bag over her shoulder as she headed for the door. “Bye Sollux!”

“Bye, ‘radia.”

A second later the door closed, and Sollux turned towards his desk. He peeked inside the brown bag in his lap and couldn’t help a tiny smile. It was his favourite- a sesame seed bagel lightly toasted with bacon, lettuce, and cheese (no tomato) on one half, just butter on the other. She really did know him too well.


End file.
